Colostomy appliance



May 17, 1938. E. G. MILLS COLOSTOMY APPLIANCE Filed Feb. 18, 1936Patented May 17, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE coLos'roMY APPLIANGEEdmund G. Mms, Newton, Mass. Application February 1s, 193s, serial No.64,463

z claims. (ci. 12a-ess) 'This invention relates to improvements incolostomy appliances.

More particularly it provides a combined receptacle and shield for ttingover and around an 5 orifice left in a human lateral abdominal wall upona surgical removal of the lower part of the colon. As a receptacle. ifits edges are tightly sealed against the abdominal wall, it receives andholds safely the intestinal discharge from said orifice until such timeas convenience permits the patient ,to dispose of the same. As a shieldit protects the region from casual blows, and from the rubbing ofclothing.

The invention improves upon prior 'devices proposed for this generalpurpose,-in comfort, in

security and in convenience for the person who is other helping attainthe improved emciency for` each other and for the device as a` whole.

The improved sealing engagement between the receptacle and the patientsbody assures, without discomfort, a safe holding of contents.

The single-strap up-pressing and in-pressing makes rm securement of thereceptacle in its said sealing engagement without being subject to Ybeing disturbed by any ordinary active motions of the wearers body.

The pressing of the stiff walls edgewise to the body of the wearer, withcurved extent-conforming to the wearers body curvature gives requisiteintensity of pressure to hold the seal perfect. The receptacle has thegeneral shape of an elliptical dome curved around the wearers body, withthe basal terminus of this dome extending or receding without ceasing tobe a part of the bulge or rise of such a dome. In other words, there isno basal flange.

These results are attained by making a shell of 45 sheet metal whosethin walls have shape approximating that of the surface of asemi-ellipsoid.

These edges when in .use will terminate abruptly against the wearersbody. Instead of being cut straight, as on the plane of the longitudinalaxis, their horizontal extent is concave, bowed outward with respect tothat axis, to follow the horizontal curve of an abdomen. And at the endsof the shell the edge line of up and down extent line, as seen inprojection on a vertical plane, is con- 55 vex toward the wearers body,being bowed inward as compared with the vertical axis of the elflipsoid. This provides so that the shape, in general, bears against theouter abdominal wall with equal intensity of pressure at all pointsalong the edge of th'e shell. A pair of slots in the shell, one 5 pairnear each end, below the horizontal midheight of the shell, receive asingle broad strip or belt, threaded through these slots so as to lieexteriorly along the wall of the shell, through the full distancebetween the slots, and again at each 10 end portion of the shell, beyondthe slots, whence the belt passes around the patients body, and issecured by any suitable belt-fastening means, such as a buckle.

A sheet or sheets of any suitable absorbent ma- 15 terial, placed Withinthe shell as a lining, extend beyond the edges of the shell, all the wayaround, and intervene between those edges and the wearers body, as asealing pad, against which the thin edges of the shell may be pressed bya suit- 20 able tightening of the belt. The described relation of thebelt, shell and wearers body provides a coaction whereby the beltextends along the under slope of the bulge or dome of the shell; andthere it applies pressure upward as well as 25 simultaneously inwardagainst the wearers body.

The receptacle may be emptied in a convenient and sanitary manner,without the belt falling out of place, by holding the free unbuckledstrap-end on the wearers under-garment, with an ordinary gn spring pinchclip, While the shell end is held in hand' and tipped outward. Freshlining may be inserted While the shell is in this tipped position.

It is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression inthe appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist inthe invention disclosed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation showing a device embodying the inventionapplied at the abdomen of 40 a person;

Figure 2 is a top plan, on an enlarged scale, of the device of Figure 1with the absorbent material omitted;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the device of 45 Figure 2;

Figure 4 is anelevation in section on v4--4 of Figure 1, on an enlargedscale.

Referring to the drawing, the receptacle l0' preferably will be alight-weight metal shell having a modied semi-ellipsoid shape. The edgesI2 ofthe shell have the sharpness of a smoothly cut piece of thin metal,so that under mild pressure these edges, all around the shell, embedthemselves rather deeply in a pad I4 which ab- 55 sorbently lines theinterior of the shell and which extends beyond the shell edges. 'lhispad is relatively soft, for constituting a cushion between the sharpshell edges and the body of the person using the appliance; and itssharpness favors its deep seating in the cushion with consequenteii'ectiveness of sealing under a pressure which need be only gentle.

The shell preferably has length considerably greater than its width, andis arranged for its longer dimension to extend horizontally in directionaround the wearers body. 'I'he upper and lower edges have a concaveaspect when viewed from above, because they recede medially toward thecrest of the bulge, for approximately fitting the curvature of theabdominal region of a persons body. 'Ihe short up and down edges at theends of the shell have a 'convex aspect, when viewed in elevation,because medially they extend further from the crest of the bulge inorder to reach and to press firmly the abdominal wall, which wallrecedes as it proceeds laterally around the person. 'I'he describedstiffness with approximation of actual ilt to body shape, coupled withthe stiifness of edges, permits the edges to be pressed deeply linto thepad, about equally all the way around, under mild pressure applied' bythe strap I6; and this assures a suiliciently tight seal at everylocation around the edge when the shell is bound in place by the beltI6.

The convexity of the sti shell-receptacle is utilized as a cqactingelement in securing and maintaining the shell in proper position. Forthis I employ a. broad strap or belt I6, which may be of canvas or othersuitably strong material, threaded through pairs of slots I8 provided inthe shell near the ends. These are located in the under slope of themound which the shell, constitutes, below the longitudinal axis of theshell. 'I'he belt engages exteriorly against this underslope-wall of theshell throughout the whole distance between the two pairs of slots i8;and engages exteriorly against each end portion of shell beyond theslots, whence the respective ends of the belt pass around the wearersbody and are secured together by any suitable means, such as A thebuckle 20.

In use, the receptacle shell is to be removably secured to the belt I6by said threading of belt through slots I8 in the shell. 'Ihis attainsthe important end, that the receptacle cannot be accidentally detachablefrom the belt. When tightened, the single strap belt, passed around thenarrow part of the wearers body, draws the receptacle firmly upward andinward tightly against the soft round surface of the abdomen.Nevertheless, by a mere loosening of the belt, it may be convenientlymanipulated on and around the belt, for disposal of contents and for theinserting of a fresh lining pad. I'his manipulation is facilitated bythe fact that the belt engages the receptacle low down on its underslope, permitting a. tilting of the receptacle outward over the loosenedbelt as a sustaining pivot. Yet these conveniences afforded for thisoperation detract nothing from the effectiveness and safety of thedevice when the belt is tightened against the wearers body. Thecooperative eifect of the shell edges bedded in the soft pad materialassure safety of sealing with a minimum of discomfort.

I claim as my invention:

l. A colostomyappliance comprising a domed shell, whose basal edgeappears approximately as an ellipse when projected on a surfaceperpendicular to that axis of the dome which passes through its apex,wherein there are combined the features that, the side walls of the domeare curved so as to reach that basal 'edge at a steep angle to any planeperpendicular to that axis; and the course of said basal edge as seenfrom said axis is a succession of reverse curves, of which y thoseconstituting the longer sides of the ellipse follow approximately theline at which the dome sides would be cut by an intersecting cylinderhaving the size and curvature of a human trunk and having its axisperpendicular to both the said axis of the dome and the longer axis ofthe ellipse; and there is a belt adapted to go around the body of aperson wearing the appliance; and there is means on the shell forpositioning the belt on the shell asymmetrically of the dome and on thatslope thereof -which is lower when the appliance is being worn, beingthe slope below the plane through the apex and the longer axis ofelliptical projection, whereby tension of the belt applies the shellwith inward and upward pressure of its basal edge toward the body of aperson wearing it.

2. A colostomy appliance asin claim l, in which the shell has near eachend thereof, and below the bulge thereof, a pair of vertical slotsthrough which said belt is threaded; and a pad within the shell havingedge portions protruding for being engaged between the said edges of theshell and the body of the wearer.

EDMUND G. MILLS.

